1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic media distribution.
2. Related Art
Electronic media distribution, especially the sharing of video files, may involve websites or software where a user can post and distribute his or her own music and video files. While many media distribution websites place restrictions on the file size, duration, subject matter and format of the uploaded video file, the sites do not generally have sophisticated control systems which allows the media file submitter to control the sharing or distribution of the material.
The popularity of media posting and sharing has increased dramatically in recent years, compounding the problem of controlling posted material. As an example, a current popular media distribution website service allows unregistered users to access most any posted video while registered users are permitted to upload an unlimited number of videos. In July 2006 a popular media distribution website revealed that more than 100 million videos were being watched every day, and 2.5 billion videos were watched during the month of June 2006. The website estimated that over 50,000 videos were being added per day in 2006 and that over 6.1 million videos and 50,000 user accounts were active in 2006. Furthermore, the website noted that the number of posted videos increased to over 60 million in less than twelve months during 2007.
What are needed, therefore, are systems and/or methods to alleviate the aforementioned deficiencies. Particularly, what is needed is an effective approach to maintain a media file submitter's rights while allowing the submitter to manage the distribution of one's media files.